Q- How do I know that these kits are "good"?
A- I've been homeschooling for over 25 years and I've used all of the products personally in my homeschool. After trying lots of different things, I've picked these as the best! I think you'll really enjoy using them and have a very productive homeschool year.
Q- Will I really have enough materials to teach my child so he won't get behind?
A- Yes! I have included all the basics: math, English, science, history, reading, writing. Your child will get an excellent education, a full school year, and enjoy it too!
Q- How does this compare to a private school?
A- Private school is anywhere from $1,500 to $7,000+ per year. Purchasing our "All Set for School" Complete Curriculum Kit will give you the same academics at a very small fraction of the cost. Besides, and most importantly, your student will get the very nicest, very best teacher: YOU!
Q- Can I use my complete curriculum set for more than one student?
A- Of course, and it is a great way to save money! Apologia Science books, in the elementary grades, apply to grades K through 6th, so you could teach all your children in this age range from the very same book. For the consumable items, like workbooks, you can easily buy extras for your other children. On subjects like math, each child may need a different level.
Q- Should I individually select curriculum?
A- It takes quite a bit of experience to fine-tune a program to each of your children's needs. You can certainly do it, but it will take a lot of study, and experience helps too. And it helps to have $$ to experiment with. I would like to custom fit my children's clothing, but I don't always have the time to sew, or to create patterns myself, to make those clothes fit my child perfectly. Sometimes ready-made is wonderful too. And much less stress. And when you do have extra time and money, there are lots of fabulous resources you can add to the basic curriculum to customize it to your child.
Q- What else will I need?
A- Whatever you can afford to enhance their schooling experience! I like to buy DVDs, science kits, games, art supplies, etc. I would be glad to help you select the ones I think are the best. Most public schools are short on funds, and cannot provide much more than the basics. That's a good place to start, adding on as you can afford to. The library and the internet have great resources that you can use to augment your program too!
Q- How do we finish the school year's work on time?
A- If you glance through the table of contents of each book, you can approximate how much to do each week. Most books are geared to be finished in a normal school year (180 days), and are easy to divide up so you can do one lesson or unit a day, or a week, and be done when the school year ends.
Q- Do you use these resources in your homeschool?
A- Yes! That is why I am enthusiastically recommending them. They have been the mainstay of my children's educational program.
Q- How long does this take every day?
A- Each child works at a different rate, but in general, preschoolers will happily work/play at their schoolwork for an hour a day, broken up in to 10 minute segments. And high school students will study for at least 4 - 6 hours per day. I do school with my children from 9 AM to noon daily, and then the older children finish up on their own right after lunch during naptime, with quiet study and reading. We're all done by about 2 PM. That's it!
Q- Will this meet state requirements?
A- In my experience, homeschoolers exceed the state requirements. I took my teen's English portfolio to a local high school to get credit and it was gratifying to watch the English professor's face. After a thorough browse through the essays she'd written, plus her long list of literature reading, related films, field trips, and more, he sighed. "I would be thrilled if my English students accomplished 1/4 of this in a school year!"
